Veteran speaks of pride and survival

WEST CHESTER — John Connor spoke past an appreciative Veterans Day crowd to address fellow veterans who know someone who was killed.

“You may find yourself wondering why you’re the one that’s still here, wanting desperately to trade places,” said Connor, an Iraq War veteran of the U.S. Air Force. “To that, I say this: I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you made it.”

Connor, 29, of West Chester, was guest speaker Sunday afternoon at Borough Hall ceremonies commemorating Veterans Day. The 2012 West Chester University graduate in communications spent six years in the Air Force in security, serving in the states and Turkey and for seven months in Iraq in 2005.

Connor, who grew up in Newtown Square, said he was proud to serve his country and to be a veteran of the Iraq War, but it is hard to be thanked.

He spoke of Staff Sgt. Travis Griffin, his friend who trained him to be a noncommissioned officer. Griffin, of Springboro, Ohio, was killed in 2008 by a roadside bomb.

He said he learned of Griffin’s death just as his own promotion to sergeant was coming through. He said he wasn’t sure he was ready to be a sergeant.

“But as time went on, it became apparent the training Travis gave me, the example that he provided, gave me all of the tools I needed to become a successful NCO. I think it’s a universal truth that in order to appreciate all of the good you have in life, you have to experience a great deal of hardship. I think that’s what separates veterans from many others in society.”

Connor said he never appreciated what Veterans Day meant while growing up; to him, it was a day off to go shopping, even though his father and other relatives had served in armed forces. He said he was proud of his service but had trouble being thanked because of the people who were killed.

“It becomes this sort of ‘yeah, but...’ scenario,” he said. “Yeah, I appreciate your gratitude, but I wish I had been able to do more.”

For himself, Connor said he was trying to use the experience to be a better person.

“If you allow yourself to collapse in a ball and shut yourself off from the world because of the losses you’ve experienced, then you’re missing the opportunity to reward your friends’ sacrifices,” he said.

Connor said he asked some of his pals what they were doing to celebrate Veterans Day on Sunday. One is wearing his dog tags on campus, another said he was taking his medals out, another was camping with his father and other vets, and another was flying a flag he flew in Iraq and Afghanistan outside his house.

He said each of his pals, in their own way, was proud to have served and grateful to return home.

“I’m so damn proud that I got a chance to serve my country. We all are. And I’m glad that I’m here. I’m glad I made it,” Connor said.

The West Chester parade and ceremony had a much larger attendance than in most recent years. Parade supporters cited the mild weather, and the fact that Sunday, the normal day for the borough ceremony, fell on the actual Veterans Day of Nov. 11 this year.

Connor, who has been working as a waiter in town while he searches for a job in his field of study, admitted as he started speaking that he was recruited only on Friday to make the address. “I’ll keep it short,” he said looking at the crowd with a smile, “I know the Eagles kick-off at 4.”